Vietnamese Culture Copyright 1996 Tran Thong Issue 31. Tru+o+ng's wife Please direct all questions to [email protected] ==================================================================== Here is the proposed schedule of this column. Issue #1: Tet 1971 in Vietnam! by Phu Si, VB710118 Issue #2: The Unicorn dance at Tet, by Minh Tam, VB710118. Issue #3: The origin of Tao Quan, the three kitchen gods, by George F. Schultz, VB710118. Issue #4: 1971 - The year of the Pig, by Van Ngan, VB710118. Issue #5 The Joy of "first writing of the new year", by Thuy Ngoc, VB710208. Issue #6: Traditional Vietnamese male attire, by Van Ngan, VB710208 Issue #7: The legend of Princess Lieu Hanh, George F. Schultz, VB710215 Issue #8: The dialogue on Mount Na-Son, George F. Schultz, VB710222 Issue #9: The secret housewife, George F. Schultz, VB710301 Issue #10: The golden axe, George F. Schultz, VB710308 Issue #11: Golden age of Viet Nam under the Hung Kings, Pham Tung, TAS720506. Issue #12: The legend of Chu Van Dich, George F Schutlz, VB701221 Issue #13: The sandalwood maiden, George F. Schultz, VB7010?? Issue #14: Legend about Emperor Ly Thai-To, George F Schultz, VB7010?? Issue #15. Chu Dong-Tu and Princess Tien Dung, George F. Schultz, VB701005 Issue #16. The husband's most difficult task: teaching his wife, Van Ngan, VB 691216 Issue #17: Superstition in Viet Nam, Van Ngan, VB6911?? - May 8, 1996. Issue #18: Hair: VN style, VB7007?? - May 15, 1996 Issue #19: Funeral rites in Viet-Nam, Van Ngan, VB7006?? - May 22, 1996. Issue #20: "Non Bai Tho" or the "Poetical Leaf", ???, VB7011??. Issue #21: The different systems of writings in Viet-Nam, ???, VB710201. Issue #22: Vietnamese literature in "Chu Nom", ???, VB710201. Issue #23: The boat of illusion, Nguyet Cam, Heritage Sept/Oct 1995. Issue #24: Tran Hung Dao's proclamation to his officers, George F. Schultz, VB 710201. Issue #25: The refined pleasure of tea-drinking, Tuong Minh, The Saigon Times Weekly, No. 238. Issue #26: The hero of Phu Dong, ADT Issue #27: The genie of Ta?n Vie^n, ADT Issue #28: The magic crossbow, ADT Issue #29: The legend of tra^`u cau, ADT Issue #30: Tu+` Thu+'c and Gia'ng Hu+o+ng , ADT Issue #31: Tru+o+ng's wife, ADT - Dec 20, 1996. =================================================================== Tru+o+ng's wife Adapted by AnDinhTon The temple to Tru+o+ng's wife is located on the side of the Hoa`ng river, village of Vu~ Ddie^.n, district Ly' Nha^n, province of Ha` Nam. Here is her story. She married a man of the Truong family. After a half a year, he was conscripted to go and fight a distant war. When he left, she was pregnant. She gave birth to boy, which she name Dda?n. During her husband absence, as she sat with her child, she would point to her shadow and would tell him that that was his father. After three years, her husband was released from service and came home. The boy by then could talk. When he called him, he replied: You are also my dad? How can you talk now? My dad used to be silent. He came at night. He would sit when mom sat. He would move when mom moved. The husband was struck by what his son has revealed to him. He became suspicious, then questioned his wife and did not believe when she denied having been with another man. He gave her such a hard time that in despair she jumped in the Hoang river to kill herself to prove her faithfulness. Then one night, as he sat with his child, he pointed to the shadow of his father on the wall and said: Dda?n dad has come back, see! It finally struck the husband that his wife has used her shadow to provide the boy with as a surrogate father. As he came to recognize the injustice he did onto his wife, he built a altar on the river edge so that he can make offering to help free her soul. The people of the village subsequently built a temple in her honor. King Le^ Than'h To^n (1442 - 1497) on a tour of this province passed the temple and this inspired the following poem about her temple Nghi ngu't dda^`u ghe^`nh toa? kho'i hu+o+ng Mie^'u ai nhu+ mie^'u vo+. cha`ng Tru+o+ng. Ngo.n dde`n da^`u ta('t ddu+`ng nghe tre?, La`n nu+o+'c chi cho lu.y dde^'n na`ng. Chu+'ng qua? co' ddo^i vu+`ng nha^.t nguye^.t, Gia?i oan chi mu+o+.n dde^'n dda`n tra`ng. Qua dda^y mo+'i bie^'t nguo^`n co+n a^'y Kha' tra'ch cha`ng Tru+o+ng khe'o phu~ pha`ng This column of incense smoke by the whirlpool Is this the temple of the wife of Truong. When the oil lamp is out, do not listen to the child, Why the river to bring her misfortune. Witnesses of her faithfulness are the sun and the moon Why is it necessary to have an altar to redress the injustice Passing by we learn the ins and outs of this story Truong you have been too harsh! == King Le^ Tha'nh To^n reigned from 1460 to 1497. He was one of the enlightened King of the Early Le^ dynasty. He made political reforms and also was a patron of the arts. He founded the Tao Dda`n nhi. tha^.t ba't tu', the 28 star literary society, and was their leader.